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Schiit Audio Valhalla 2
Written by Amos Barnett (Currawong)
You know, I’ve never owned any Schi….um, any of your products..” I was saying to Jason Stoddard in LA in March. Indeed, the last time I’d sampled anything from his company was years ago at a meet in Australia, where an original Asgard hadn’t impressed me. So I asked Jason if he would send me a Valhalla 2 once they were in production, as the amp seemed to be something of a potential... read more

Ultra-High-End Headphones, Amps, DACs (Summit-Fi)
Most of my favorite headphones can benefit tremendously from dedicated headphone amplifiers. And the ones I've listed below--if you're not familiar with this class of headphones--will likely spoil you forever. These headphones have a way of challenging you to bring the best out of them, and that can get very expensive, very quickly. It's headphones like these that make Head-Fi's unofficial slogan:
"Welcome to... read more

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Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors
Like a bespoke suit, custom in-ear monitors (IEMs) are made just for you, molded to the exact shape of your ears (usually by an audiologist). And like a custom suit, custom IEMs are exceptionally comfortable, and usually trés expensive. To my ears, the best custom IEMs are some of the best sounding headphones of any type currently available.
Whichever custom you choose, expect to pay about an additional $50.00 to... read more

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Sony MDR-V6
Written by Jude Mansilla
If you're wondering why this headphone is included in the guide, call it a bit of sentimentality from me--the Sony MDR-V6 was the headphone that got me started on this long, winding headphone hi-fi journey back in the 1980's.
Is it the best at the price? No, and hasn't been in a long time. You can find headphones that isolate more, sound more refined, have better detail retrieval,... read more